


scrapbook

by kastlequill



Category: DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), DCU, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Angst, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Friends with Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, basically continuations of scenes from dcau, casual affection, or making new scenes in dcau
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26443561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kastlequill/pseuds/kastlequill
Summary: Exploring the stages of Diana and Bruce’s complex relationship in the form of various prompt-filled drabbles.
Relationships: Diana (Wonder Woman)/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 13
Kudos: 109





	1. silent solace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: which is better? being a kid or being an adult?

Diana could tell something was wrong. 

Though aided by Morgan le Fay's otherly tactics in their recent defeat of her son Mordred, the four League members were still reeling from the aftermath. 

To restore order in the briefly adult-less world, le Fay had transformed Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern into their younger selves. They had been completely de-aged physically and, to some degree, mentally. For a moment in time, Earth’s mightiest heroes were but children. 

It had not been _that_ bad, all things considered. Being a kid again had reminded Diana of Themyscira, a now forever unreachable home where she had once had a nurturing mother and loving sisters. When in her child form, the memories of her time on the island had been at the forefront of her mind, almost as if they were more recent experiences. 

The others seemed to share similar sentiments, enjoying the nostalgic reconnection with their childhood. A heavy weight had temporarily lifted from their shoulders when they were simply kids with cool powers rather than the world’s diplomats and guardians. 

There was a notable outlier, however. The one who Diana found herself inexplicably drawn towards. 

Batman. 

He was being even more closed off than usual since the reversal of the spell. If Diana did not know him as much as she did, she might have disregarded it as his typical behavior. 

But given that she _did_ know Bruce considerably well, there was no way in Hades that Diana was about to leave without checking up on him first.

She owed him that much. 

Years had passed since her banishment, but Diana would never forget the support the seemingly impassive man had provided. While struggling with the decision to relinquish her place among her people in favor of protecting mankind, his guidance had meant something profound. 

“You’re staring,” an all too familiar voice intoned. 

Unsurprisingly, Bruce had assigned himself monitor duty upon their return to the Watchtower. She wagered that he was running a third or fourth scan for distress signals by now. Whenever something personal was at the root of his problems, the Dark Knight tended to throw himself further into his work and bury his feelings. 

The room was empty save for the two of them. Notoriously known as the most unfavored job on base, Diana did not find it hard to believe that it was often Batman who accepted the task, seeking solace in silence. 

Solace in solitude. 

And though she disliked disrupting his natural order of things, the Amazon warrior would not stand idly by while her friend was in turmoil, even if he refused to acknowledge it himself. 

“We don’t have to talk about what happened, Bruce,” Diana spoke softly as she walked out from behind him and into his peripheral vision. 

“I wasn’t planning to,” he replied without sparing a glance from the screen.

Not one to have her efforts deterred by standoffish responses, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. His muscles predictably tensed, but he did not move out from under her touch. 

Instead, Batman ever so slightly relaxed and let his cowl fall back to reveal a man in need of comfort. 

Blue eyes met blue. They communicated through the windows of their souls, one looking to be understood, while the other looked to understand. 

No further words were spoken. Diana knew her colleague’s limits regardless of however invincible the stubborn man acted. There was no place on any of the infinite Earths where she would force him to speak of the memories that resurfaced and haunted him to this very day. 

After he turned his chair enough to the side to allow her to approach closer, she took his gauntlet-clad hands into hers and gazed at the raw display of grief on his face. In that moment, he was not Batman, vengeance of the night—he was Bruce, an eight-year-old boy who had never recovered from witnessing his parents’ murder.

Sensing what he so desperately needed but would not ask for of his own accord, Diana let go of his hands and wrapped her arms tightly around him in a warm embrace. A hug. She found herself wondering when he had last been held and consoled. Perhaps not since his youth. 

Unable to restrain her overwhelming desire to soothe him of his pain, Diana cupped the back of his head and combed her fingers through his tousled hair. In response, Bruce unknowingly shifted more of his weight onto her, trusting she would not let him collapse under the burden of it all. 

The stress. The trauma. The pressure. The loss. 

The mission. 

And if Diana felt Bruce’s frame tremble as he released the emotions he had repressed for far too long into the crook of her neck, she did not say a word. 

_fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi all! im currently writing a wonderbat oneshot (i hope to have it completed, edited, and posted soon) and a much grander scale wonderbat multific (i hope to get a good way on before posting the first chapter). until then, though, i wanted to at least try having finished works for them, so i started doing these prompts for the month! there will be 30 total prompts, but i’ll be choosing my favorite 15 to write. 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this one, and i cant wait to write more! i know we're more niche in respect to the dc fandom as a whole, but i wish that i will be able to make some fics we all can enjoy :D


	2. eventual compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: one of your characters has done something hypocritical. what was it and what’s going to happen as a result?

Her jaw jolted as it collided with the hard surface of the training room floor. A hand pushed her face even further down in an attempt to limit the mere possibility of escape. 

Not that it was particularly successful.

Utilizing strength bestowed by the gods, Diana threw her head back, and a low groan resounded upon impact. With the man momentarily off guard, she managed to stand and regain control, adopting a more sturdy stance. 

“You seem angry,” Diana remarked while her colleague rubbed his jaw slightly. “One sparring session is not the solution to all of your problems, you know.”

Batman readied himself for the next flurry of attacks, white eyes squinting. “Focus. Less talking.” 

His clipped tone was not unusual. Wordlessly blowing off some steam after a rough mission was their tradition of sorts. 

The command had no sooner left his mouth than she lunged. Her strikes were precise and impactful, each hit a testament to decades of experience. Lacking the trademark weapons of Wonder Woman did little to disadvantage the expert duelist.

More often than not, the two were evenly matched. In that moment, however, his all-consuming emotions rendered him vulnerable to her assault. 

Uppercut. Right hook. Sidestep. Dodge. Takedown. 

Seizing the opportunity to place the Dark Knight in a headlock, Diana slipped behind him and wrapped her toned arms over and under his head. The force of squeezing pressure offered no mercy. He would remain trapped until he found a way to redirect the momentum of the fight.

“Are you ready to tell me what this is really about, now?” she questioned, momentarily loosening her hold so as to let him reply.

A beat of silence. Then two. 

“What were you thinking out there?” 

Diana paused, shocked by the tinge of hostility in his voice. “Excuse me?”

“You were sloppy, uncoordinated, and reckless,” Batman berated, volume rising with each passing second. “I didn’t take you for someone who has a death wish.”

“I had it under control,” she said defensively. The choke hold around him dissipated, and Diana attempted to create as much distance between them lest she unintentionally lash out in hurt.

The revelation that Batman did not see her as a worthy ally who was capable of fighting alongside him on the battlefield was upsetting. Did he really believe that little of her?

Ignorant of the turmoil he had stirred within his partner, Batman relentlessly continued. “Are you so arrogant you would deem yourself indestructible?” 

Whatever dejection she felt quickly evaporated as fury settled in its place. 

The sheer audacity of men. Of _this_ man. 

“ _Arrogance_ is your refusal to accept help even in situations that would be greatly aided by outside assistance. Acknowledging my fate without allowing it to deter me isn’t arrogance—it’s sacrifice,” Diana countered, raising her chin in challenge. 

“And it has to be you,” he questioned, though the cold, detached manner with which he spoke made it sound more like an accusation. 

If Batman expected her to concede to him, he was in for a rude awakening. Diana of Themyscira was not to be mistaken for one of the new recruits who turned into a shaking mess at the sight of the menacing Caped Crusader.

“You know as well as I do that sacrifice is inevitable if we are to achieve justice and peace. As Earth’s guardians, we have an obligation to make the hard calls so others don’t have to bear that burden. And it is my prerogative if I choose to extend the parameters of that mission to include the rest of the League. 

“I have never stopped you from fulfilling your duty, Bruce, so do not stand in the way of _mine_ ,” she seethed, indignation contorting her beautiful features. 

His first name now fell naturally from her lips due to frequent use. As many of their mutual contacts suspected, the two had a connection that revealed itself through casual glances, gentle touches, and soft reassurances. The presence or absence of romance in their relationship was irrelevant to the fact that they were important to one another.

But that most definitely did not mean they agreed on everything. 

“The Justice League can’t afford to lose Wonder Woman to the heroics of martyrdom.” 

Tired of his hypocrisy, Diana invaded the infuriating man’s space, jabbing her finger into his Kevlar-padded chest. “You regard my _recklessness_ with disapproval, yet I see no caution when it comes to your own life. How can you stand there in good faith and criticize me for following your example?” 

Batman tilted his head and narrowed his white lenses, a betrayal of irritation, but otherwise remained unmoved. 

Considering the conversation over, she brushed past his shoulder in pursuit of the exit. “I am your equal, and you would do well to remember that I can take care of myself.”

“I consider you the best melee fighter on the planet,” he called after her, mild frustration at the misinterpretation seeping into his monotonous tone. 

“Then why?” 

“Because the world needs a Wonder Woman, and hell if I won’t try my damndest to make sure you stay alive as long as I’m here,” Bruce rasped with such vehemence it prompted Diana to turn her back on the door. 

Once more, they were face-to-face, two souls intertwined by a power greater than fate stuck at a crossroads. 

“Does the world not need a Batman?” 

“That isn’t the same,” he denied curtly, shaking his head. “I have protégés who are prepared and qualified to take my place when the time comes.”

Diana inwardly sighed. His flawed logic was starting to become predictable, a distorted cycle enslaved to the paranoia of habit. Bruce always tried to rationalize the irrational. 

“Perhaps I should give some thought to taking on an apprentice and training them to continue the Wonder Woman legacy. That resolves the issue, does it not?” she reasoned, one dark eyebrow arched in provocation. 

_This isn’t about Wonder Woman. Be honest, Bruce. It’s about me. And you can’t admit it. To either of us._

After many years in the Justice League, she had accepted that the man across from her would rather grow old and wither away than act on the attraction they had for each other. Previous instances similar to their current discourse used to give her hope back then, a sign the enigmatic Batman cared. 

The Amazon recognized the routinely quarrels for what they were: awakened fear. 

Reconnaissance missions, hostage crises, intergalactic warfare, magical curses, natural disasters, transplanetary political schemes. Members of the League spanned across the known and unknown regions of the universe, yet even they could not outrun failure. Tangible fear laid dormant until summoned by an escape from death too narrow for comfort. 

Such had been the case that day. A juvenile extraction spearheaded by Wonder Woman had uncontrollably escalated into a hopeless cause. Prioritizing the younger Leaguers on the team over herself, Diana had rushed them to the rescue units while she stayed behind to finish the task. The cheers and sighs of relief when J’onn had teleported her back to the Watchtower with the subject of interest were deafening. 

Not everyone was so boisterous. She had spotted him brooding in a corner, piercing gaze ablaze behind his cowl, shadows masking his presence. 

Bruce now stood in the training room because fear had amounted to the point of impossibility at the thought of a future without her. The panic ignited was not for oneself. Diana knew as much given that she felt the same heart pounding rush of adrenaline when _he_ had close calls.

And though he would not confess his feelings in their lifetime, she knew the truth that fueled his harsh words. 

“You bring people hope, inspire them to be better. Diana, you are the embodiment of what it means to be Wonder Woman. That can’t be taught.” 

“What about the one who inspires me? Am I supposed to shield myself from danger when he is in peril? Stand by and watch while he takes his last breath?” the rapid-fire string of questions tumbled from her lips before she could process the implications. 

In the midst of their discussion, they had subconsciously gravitated closer, noses practically touching. The rhythmic sounds of shared breathing filled the room. Tension wound up tight in their bodies gradually relaxed as they absorbed both the spoken and unspoken. 

A bittersweet interlude before the two returned to a reality in which they prohibited themselves from indulging in each other. 

“I propose a compromise,” Diana concluded, finally breaking the silence. Verbal tactics were another element of war, and she had quickly become proficient in the language of diplomacy. 

He entertained a few more moments of quiet before his curiosity eventually outweighed the desire to maintain a stoic façade. “I’m listening.”

“Develop a sense of self-preservation, and I will try not to be so self-sacrificing,” she outlined simply. At its core, their argument was born from a place of concern, and Diana understood his worries for her safety no matter how incapable he was at conveying himself. After all, she worried for the man beneath the suit, too. “I promise.”

The stony Bat stared down the triumphant Amazon for what felt like eons, but her resolve never wavered. However, she could hardly ignore the sensation of him looking for something, picking her apart until nothing remained hidden to his analytical gaze. 

His mouth ticked up at the corners. An outstretched hand. 

“Deal.”

_fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took longer than expected because i just couldnt get it Right. i still dont know if i did really. point is batman is a hypocrite telling everyone else to be safe and not so self sacrificing when he is the Literal Definition of the word. this was fun to write :) no extensive editing so lets hope there isnt (m)any errors 
> 
> im probably shortening 15 prompts to 10 because i also want to do some whumptober drabbles and/or oneshots ! 
> 
> i hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for all the positive feedback on the last one it really made my day <3


	3. double wonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: your character is meeting or learning about someone for the first time

She found him passed out in an alleyway dumpster. 

It was a suspiciously quiet night in Gotham, all things considered. Bruce had needed a last-second distraction to overshadow his persona’s sudden disappearance from the New Year Gala, so Diana had naturally come to his aid in full Wonder Woman glamor.

After hours of polite smiles that did not quite reach her eyes and shaking hands with people who deemed themselves important, the familiarity of patrolling the streets was comforting. Though often uninvited by her colleague, she felt an obligation to the polluted city, for it never failed to reinvigorate her with purpose. 

The countless babies orphaned by fate’s cruelty. Even more still who starved in the cold, deprived of a proper home. 

Crime rates on a constant, uphill climb with few uncorrupted enough to care and fewer with the courage to act. Madmen who took to terrorizing innocents for as little as a shred of power and glory. 

Arkham’s revolving door. A dysfunctional justice system in which the rich never saw the inside of a prison cell. 

Much needed fixing. But not even the fearsome Dark Knight could do everything single handedly. Diana found herself worrying for Batman as she laid witness to the deterioration of his emotional, mental, and physical health under the burden of Gotham’s sins that which he bore alone. Decades into his crusade, yet it was as if he was only just beginning. 

There she stood, peering down at the crumpled body of a man seemingly discarded like garbage. His tan leather jacket was stained with crimson blood, and the damage to his helmet revealed the right side of a battered face. 

He looked far too young to be on his deathbed. 

Something about him drew her closer. Perhaps it was the way he appeared vulnerable and in need of protection that called upon her love of children. Throwing caution to the wind, she reached out to remove the broken mask from his face for a better evaluation of his injuries. 

However, as soon as her fingers made contact with the red metal, a jolt of electricity coursed through her, prompting Diana to recoil in shock. 

She knew of only one other person who was paranoid to the extent of booby trapping his cowl. 

Was it a coincidence? 

If Bruce were there, he would scoff at such an amateur question. _I don’t believe in coincidences, princess._

Motivated rather than deterred by the attack, Diana gracefully leapt into the air, lifting the boy with ease but careful not to hurt him further. Despite her best efforts, a pained groan escaped from his clenched teeth. The one visible eye fluttered open and immediately squinted at the blinding light emanating from her tiara. 

“There is nothing to fear now. I will keep you safe,” she shushed softly, not unlike a mother to her wailing newborn. “Do you know of a place where you can receive treatment?”

Seeing but unseeing, he stared at Diana and allowed himself to analyze her kind features until recognition overtook him. 

A somewhat lengthy pause. Then a strained reply.

“Here’s to hoping you know who the big guy is, or else I’m about to _severely_ fuck up for the third time tonight,” the helmeted man wheezed out, smirking a bit before letting out a shuddering cough. “I’d say that’s a new record, but who’s counting?” 

Diana flew them higher until they were above Gotham and quietly waited for him to gather his bearings. Against all logic, there existed a mysterious force between her and this person she felt compelled to shelter from the blights of the world. 

Sadness. Loss. Anger. Vengeance. 

Such a whirlwind of emotions seeped through the very pores of his skin, potent enough for Diana to feel them with great intensity. Maybe she was so adamant because she saw herself in him, lost and alone in the midst of evil. 

Or maybe it was due to the image she had conjured of a young, brash Bruce desperate for justice, strikingly comparable to this beaten child drenched in despair and death. 

“Take me to Wayne Manor. Please.”

The afterthought politeness so reminiscent of her colleague’s own frequent foregoing of pleasantry almost made her laugh if not for the overwhelming surprise at the location he had just uttered. 

She nearly dropped him. 

Peering down at the bundle of rough edges and soft expressions in her hold, Diana finally asked the questions that had been plaguing her mind since discovering him amongst the city wastes. “What is your name, child? Who are you to Bruce Wayne?”

“Jason,” the half-unconscious boy—Jason—supplied the information without much resistance and tiredly nuzzled deeper into the heat of her embrace, a relieving contrast to the icy air around them. 

“I’m his son.”

_fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not much wonderbat But jason is my fav character of all time and i really wanted to write them meeting. honestly ive also been playing around with the idea of a jason diana fix it fic where she can be the motherly figure he deserves bc they would understand each other very well i think ! 
> 
> did not edit a lot (read: at all) so hopefully no glaring errors
> 
> hope you enjoyed <3


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